Boozing at Bootleggers

As I first walk into Bootleggers Brew Pub on Route 3, in Plattsburgh, I'm greeted by a full arcade, featuring all the classic games, including my personal favorite, Skee-Ball. But I'm not here to play games; I'm here to eat dinner. My guest, Andrew, and I continue up the stairs to the second level.

Lit up by bright lights, Bootleggers caters to the kid inside all of us.

The stairwell is clad with twenties style fliers plastered on the wall. I'm welcomed by a hostess as soon as I walk into the large dining room. She shows us to a table by large panels of windows, looking out over the North Country

The walls are painted a deep maroon and accented with dark, wooden moldings. Sections of the floor have small black and white tiling, a nice contrast to the twenties décor of the restaurant. There are vintage pictures hanging on the walls and you can see a television from virtually any seat in the house. The circular bar also features several big screen televisions, providing a perfect spot to watch the big game.

As soon as we sit down, Andrew and I order pints of blueberry beer, one of seven of their in-house drafts. The pints, which cost $2.75 also come in blonde, pale ale, red, brown-nut, stout, and raspberry.

The nine page menu offers classics like wings and burgers, while also containing specialty dishes like Thai linguine and blackened catfish. Andrew settled on the Bootlegger's Sampler Platter, an appetizer of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and chicken wings. I picked the turkey artichoke combo, a sandwich piled with smoked turkey, provolone cheese, and spinach artichoke spread.

After eight minutes our food arrived. My sandwich was satisfying, as the spinach artichoke spread was an unusual, but tasty ingredient. The sandwich was grilled on Swiss parmesan focaccia, a very thick and filling bread. The fries that came with the meal were crisp and golden. The beer, which indeed tasted and smelled like blueberries, was very different from any other beer that I've ever tasted. The blueberries did not overpower the beer, but instead added a light burst of flavor. Andrew also enjoyed his meal, which provided a classic take on bar appetizers.

Our check came to around $30, a great value considering the six drinks we ordered. I'd recommend Bootleggers to anyone who's looking for a casual place to eat dinner, watch the game, or to just throw back some beers.

Have you tried Bootleggers' beer?